IMPD officer drove over roundabout, hit telephone pole, documents say

The off-duty Indianapolis police officer facing his second drunken driving charge after his arrest Friday had driven his 2010 Chevrolet Camaro over a concrete roundabout and hit a telephone pole, court documents say.

Allen Johnson, 27, was off-duty at the time of his arrest, which occurred about 4 a.m. near Fall Creek Road and Brooks School Road in Hamilton County.

The investigating officer from the Fishers Police Department said Johnson smelled of alcohol and had "red bloodshot eyes," according to a probable cause affidavit. Johnson said he had "3-4 mixed drinks" before getting behind the wheel.

He drove the car over a concrete roundabout and hit a telephone pole, court documents said. A breath test showed his blood alcohol concentration was 0.13 percent, above the 0.08 percent legal limit for driving in Indiana. He failed a pair of field sobriety tests and refused to submit to a chemical test, the documents said.

He is charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Johnson, a five-year veteran of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation by the department's internal affairs branch.

Friday's arrest was the second time Johnson has been arrested on drunken driving charges. In November 2012, Johnson was pulled over in a pickup truck on Keystone Avenue near 71st Street for speeding.

According to court documents, Johnson told an officer he had three drinks before getting in his car. Johnson failed field sobriety tests and registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.086 percent.

Court records show Johnson was found guilty in that case of one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and was placed on probation.

It's unclear what Johnson's standing with IMPD will be after his internal investigation. Department policy recommends a suspension for officers who are arrested on OWI charges while driving a personally owned vehicle. A second such offense, however, can be grounds for dismissal.